If you have ever thought about protecting your logo, sign or name that you use in your business and register it as a trademark, this year will definitely be worth it. In 2021, you can save up to 50% off the basic administrative fee for filing a trademark application and registration. In the case of a European trademark, this grants protection throughout the EU, resulting in savings of up to EUR 425,- from the original basic fee.^[1] 

Who is subject to this support?

The purpose of this initiative is to support small and medium-sized enterprises (the so called SME - micro, small and medium-sized enterprises). Their definition is determined by the number of employees and their annual turnover. If you employ less than 250 employees and do not exceed a turnover of more than 50 million euros or a total annual balance sheet of more than 43 million euros, you will clearly fall into this scale.

Another condition is that it is possible to submit a confirmation for VAT and by using the data in your bank account (you must be the owner of the account and provide the IBAN and BIC / SWIFT code).

How do I request support?

It is possible to participate in this project only during certain months in 2021, them being - January, March, May, July and September. If you apply in any other month, the application will not be accepted. At present, it is therefore practicable to use the possibility of submitting an application by 31^st January 2021 and then by 1^st March 2021.

How does the whole process go?

You will first apply for a grant,^[2] and if your application is assessed and determined as well-founded and meets all the requirements, you will receive a decision about conferring a grant. You will then file a trademark application and pay the full administrative fee, all within 30 days of receiving the decision about conferring a grant. After fulfilling this obligation, you are entitled to send a request for reimbursement of part of the administrative fee, very simply, via the link that will be provided for this purpose in the decision about conferring a grant. Subsequently, within 1 month, funds should be credited to your bank account.

If you need assistance in submitting an application or registering a trademark, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/growth/smes/sme-definition_en 

[2] You can find the application here: https://euipo.europa.eu/cosme/sk